There are several outfits in Copper Landing that organize rafting and fishing trips on Kenai River. We selected Alaska Rivers Company and it worked out well.
Honestly, when booking a rafting trip, we didn't quite realize what the weather could be like at this time of year in Alaska, but we were lucky - no rain! Temperature in the mid-40s when we started out, moving up to balmy mid-50s by the end... plus wind! The trip lasted 2.5 hours and we were pretty frozen by the end of it, but the views and wildlife sightings made it worth all the suffering.
First, we got outfitted with rain gear... mostly for warmth. (Although some of our rafting companions who, unlike me, neglected to wear the overalls, ended up with wet behinds - some water apparently splashed into the raft, even though the river was pretty tranquil throughout the trip.)
Our raft held a guide and 6 passengers. The guide was the only one paddling - unlike whitewater rafting trips, this was just a float.
I was using my "big" camera - because the guide assured me it was quite safe - and it definitely paid off. So many eagles, I lost count - posting just the best ones - also mergansers and a Sharp-Shinned Hawk in a tree. Here are all the photos.
And then towards the end we saw a couple of Bald Eagles sitting together in a tree - pretty amazing!
Our trip ended by midday, we had lunch at the Two Brothers Roadhouse nearby (nothing special, but lunch places are scarce in that area), and then decided to drive towards Homer. Which was a stupid idea anyway (2 hours there and then 4 hours back to Anchorage - that's 6 hours just driving! what for?) - so maybe not all the way to Homer, just to the seashore?.. Alik heard, or read somewhere, that the road was quite beautiful. It wasn't. We drove as far as Clam Gulch State Recreation Area - there was nothing there - we took this photo, turned around and drove back.
Oh well...
We drove to Anchorage, checked into our Comfort Suites hotel near the airport...
... and went out to have dinner. We've had quite enough driving for the day, so I picked one of the nearest restaurants, Fancy Moose Lounge, just a few minutes' drive from the hotel. The food was good, the view - even better!
> Day 4
No comments:
Post a Comment